The fever of World Cup pushes big films ahead but helping small ones find screen space

It wouldn't be incorrect to say that during the World Cup, cricket is a bigger threat to the commercial success of a film than other films. Which is why many filmmakers take a back seat during this season and avoid releasing their films. However, small budget films, which in any other situation get lesser slots in theatres as opposed to a bigger film, make this their festival month.

Aditi Rao Hydari in 'The Legend of Michael Mishra'

This year being no exception, several small content oriented films will make their way onto the silver screen this cricket season while many big-budget films have been pushed back and will release post the World Cup. hitlist takes a look at the small content oriented films, which are releasing during the season.

Bhumi Pednekar and Ayushmann Khurrana in 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha'

Film: 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha'Director: Sharat KatariyaThis film, which marks the debut of Bhumi Pednekar, stars her and Ayushmann Khurrana in lead roles. The film, which is shot in Rishikesh and Haridwar, has Kumar Sanu doing a cameo.

'Qissa' was screened at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival

Film: 'Qissa'Director: Anup SinghWith Irrfan and Tillotama Shome essaying pivotal roles, this Indian-German drama film has already made its presence felt in the international film circuit. Qissa was screened at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and received the NETPAC (Network for Promotion of Asian Cinema) award for Best Asian Cinema.

Film: Coffee BloomDirector: Manu WarrierThe director's debut feature film comprising Sugandha Garg and Mohan Kapoor along with other actors premiered in India at the Mumbai Film Festival 2014 in the 'New Faces of Indian Cinema' section.

Emraan Hashmi in 'Tigers'

Other releases this seasonIn addition to the above, several other films releasing during the cricket season are:>> 'Hey Bro' starring Ganesh Acharya and Hanif Hilal>> 'Badmashiyaan' which stars Sharib Hashmi and Karan Mehra>> 'Tigers' which has Emraan Hashmi in the lead>> 'Dosakh In Search of Heaven' directed by debutant Zaigham Imam and comprising Lalit Tiwari, Garrick Chaudhary and Ruby Saini>> 'Lucknowi Ishq' with Adhyayan Suman and Karishma Kotak in the lead>> 'Dharam Sankat Mein' starring Naseeruddin Shah and Paresh Rawal>> 'Dilliwaali Zaalim Girlfriend' with Jackie Shroff and Divyendu Sharma in pivotal roles

Films that have been pushed aheadWhile many films will release this cricket season, a few producers prefer to push the release of their film to post World Cup. We give you a lowdown of a few that will wait a while:

Arshad Warsi in 'The Legend of Michael Mishra'

'The Legend of Michael Mishra'Director: Manish JhaThis quirky comedy was to earlier release on March 20 but will now hit theatres post the World Cup. The release date however remains undecided. The film has Arshad Warsi, Boman Irani, Kayoze Irani and Aditi Rao Hydari in pivotal roles.

'Guddu Rangeela'Director: Subhash KapoorThis film too stars Arshad Warsi and Aditi Rao Hydari along with Amit Sadh and Ronit Roy. The film was pushed from February 27 to June 3.

'Hero' Director: Nikhil Advani'Hero', which is the remake of the 1983 film of the same name, will mark the debut of two star kids — Sooraj Panscholi and Athiya Shetty. The project, which is being produced by Salman Khan productions will release in June.

'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!' Director: Dibakar BanerjeeFearing that the India-Pakistan match might hamper the film's collection, this Sushant Singh Rajput starrer was pushed from February 13 to April 10. The movie is based on the fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi and also has Swastika Mukherjee and Anand Tiwari in main roles.